Clothes-reel



U. E. NILES.

cLomgs ii-EEL. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 13. I919.

Patented May 18, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I. Q \I v INVENTOR. at 3.1V? [65.

FIG- A TTORNEYS C. E. NILES.

CLOTHES REEL.

APPLICATION HLED JAN. 13. 1919.

Patented May 18,1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

A TTORNEYJ CHARLES E. turns, on ne NORTH DAKOTA.

. CLOTHES-REEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1920.

Application .filed .Tanuary 13, 1919. Serial No. 270,906.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. NILns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fargo, in the county of Cass and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Reels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved clothes reel and has as its primary object to provide a device of this character so constructed that the reel may be adjustably raised or lowered upon-its standard.

The invention has as a further object to provide a construction wherein the reel will be mounted to turn about its carrier. 7

. And the invention has as a still further object to provide an improved type of reel support andlock;

Other and incidental objects will appear during the course of' the detailed description of the invention; In the drawings, wherein I have illustrated-the preferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the severalviews:

Figure 1 is an elevation of-my improved reel, this view showing in dotted lines, the manner in which the reel may be lowered upon its standard,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the socket for thereel standard,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view par ticularly illustrating the mounting of the tie rods for the reel arms,

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view more particularly,illustrating the mounting of the support within the standard,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one of the locks employed for holding the support in vertically adjusted 'position and also illustrating the manner in which the lower end of'said support-is formed to receive said lock,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view looking downwardly upon" the upper end of the reel carrier,

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 66 of Fig. 3 and looking downwardly,

Fig. 7 is adetail perspective view of the collar employed to'carry the tie rods for thereel arms, V I

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the stop employed for the lower end of the spring used in connection with the reel supporting member, and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showingthe stop in detail. 7

In carrying the invention into effect I employ a tubular post or standard 10 which is removably received at its lower end in a socket 10 snugly receivingthe standard. The socket is sunk into the ground so as to support the standard in upright position and, when the standard is removed there from, may be closed by acap 10, this cap being preferably connected with the socket by a short length of chain. Formed in one side of the'standard is a longitudinally extending slot ll and closing said standard at its upper end is a cap 12 detachably connected therewith. Telescopically fitting within the standard is a supporting member 13 provided, as best shown in Figs.'3 and 4:

upper end and adjusting and locking mechanism at its squared lower end portion.

7 Formed through the end portionllof said the outer face of the standard-walls at opposite sides of the slot 11 while the shoulders 21' confront theinner face of the walls, and each pair of shoulders 20, 21 is spaced so as to bite the wallwhen the dogiscan-teds Between the handles is aspring 22 tending to separate the dogs at their outer ends and yieldably hold the shoulders-thereofin :biting engagement with the standard. -Thus, it will be seen that bygrasping the handles 18 of the dogs and moving them toward each other, the support will be unlocked and may then beadj-ustedwertically upon the standard when, by releasing the handles, the dogs 17 will grip the standard for again locking said member against movement; In

this connection, it will" be noted thattlie reduced terminals 19' are formed with curved of the drawings, with a reel carrier at its outer end edges in order that said terminals may freely rock within the pockets 15 of the squared portion 14 of the supporting member and for a similar reason, the upper and lower walls of the respective openings are cut away at their outer end portions. Inward movement of the terminals toward each other will, of course, be limited by the dividing web 16.

Carried by the upper end of the support is a skeleton sleeve 23 surrounding the standard l0 and connected with the supporting member by vertically alined webs 24 projectii g through the slot 11 in the standard. At its lower end the sleeve is provided with a radial flange 25 while, adjacent its upper end, the sleeve is inwardly oifset to form a shoulder 26. Surrounding the sleeve and rotatably fitted on the flange is a collar 27 At spaced points there-about this collar is, as best shown in detail in Fig. 6, provided with pairs of cars or radially projecting lugs 28 and pivotally mounted between the lugs of each pair is an arm 29, these arms thus projecting radially from the sleeve 23. T breaded through the arms or otherwise connected thereto is a series of clothes lines 30 spaced longitudinally of the arms with respect to each other, these lines thus being intended for receiving the clothes to be dried. Surrounding the sleeve 23 to rest upon the shoulder 26 thereof is a second and smaller collar 31 rotatable upon the sleeve. At its upper end this collar is formed with a quintagonal portion providing a series of angular faces or sides 32 corresponding in number to the number of arms 2?). Pivotally engaged at their inner ends one with each of the sides 32 of the collar, are tie rods 33, the outer ends of which are pivoted to the inner portions of the arms 29 so that these rods will thus support the arms in upwardly and outwardly inclined position with respect to the standard. 7

Within the lower end portion of the standard is a stop 34 provided with a depending segmental flange 35 and fitted through this flange to extend through the slot 11 of the standard is a bolt or other suitable fastening device 36. As will be clear, by releasing this bolt, the stop may be adjusted vertically of the standard when the bolt may again be tightened for securing the stop in position. Resting at its lower end upon this stop is a cushioning spring 37 the upper end of which is engaged with the lower end of the support 13 and is, as best shown in Fig. 3, received over a centering boss carried by the same.

As will now be readily understood in View of the preceding description, the support 13 may, by releasing the lock, be lowered within the standard 10 in the manner suggested in dotted lines in Fig. 1 so that clothes or other articles to be dried may be readily hung upon the reel. Then, by againgrasping the handles of the lock the same may be released and the support elevated upon the standard for lifting the reel which, when the locking dogsare freed, will be relocked in elevated position. In this connection, it will be noted that the spring 37 will, of course, act to materially assist in the operation of elevating the reel. If desired, the reel may be rotated upon the support about the carrier 23 thereof so that when hanging clothes upon the reel or removing'the clothes therefrom, it will be found unnecessary to walk around the reel.

Attention is now directed to the fact that by lowering the support so as to bring the collar 31 within easy reach, this collar may be lifted from the carrier 23 for thus folding the reel arms 29 upwardly in vertical position. All of the arms will thus lie close together so that said arms may be grasped and lifted upwardly to also displace the collar 27 from the carrier 23. lVith the reel thus detached from the support, the standard 10 may now be displaced from its socket 10, and the entire device thus collapsed. This construction provides an arrangement whereby the device may be easily stored when not in use and thus protected from the weather. I accordingly provide a particularly efiicient type of clothes reel while, at the same time, the device is characterized by unusual structural simplicity.

As the collars 27 and 31 may be readily detached for removing the reel and the tie rods 33, the standard may, if desired, be permanently secured in the ground and the reel and bracing means therefor applied when it is desired to use the drier.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A clothes drier including a tubular standard having a longitudinal slot, a vertically slidable elongated support arranged within the tubular standard, superposed spaced webs carried by the upper portion of said elongated support and extending through said slot, a sliding sleeve surroundin said standard and connected at its ends to said webs, a clothes supporting device removably carried by the upper and lower ends of said sleeve, and a locking device carried by the lower end of said support and extending through said slot. I

2. A clothes drier including a tubular standard having a longitudinal slot, a ver tically adjustable support arranged within the standard, superposed spaced webs carried by said support and extending through said slot, a sliding sleeve surrounding said standard and connected to said superposed spaced webs, an annularflange formed integral with the lower portion of said sleeve and extending outwardly therefrom, acollar surrounding said sleeve and mounted on said flange, a plurality of clothes supporting devices connected to said collar, the upper portion of said sleeve being reduced for forming an exterior annular shoulder, a second collar surrounding said sleeve and removably engaging said annular shoulder, and bracing devices connected to said second named collar and engaging said clothes supporting devices, said first and second named collars being readily detachable whereby said clothes supporting and said bracing devices may be readily removed from said standard.

3. A clothes drier including a tubular standard having a longitudinal slot, a vertically adjustable support arranged within the tubular standard webs carried by said support and extending through said slot, a sleeve surrounding the standard and connected to said webs, clothes supporting devices connected to said sleeve, and an adjustable stop element arranged within said tubular standard below said support and adapted to limit the downward movement of the same. 7

4. A clothes drier including a tubular standard having a longitudinal slot, a vertically adjustable support arranged within the standard and provided with spaced webs extending through said slot, a sleeve surrounding said standard and connected to said webs, clothes supporting devices carried by said sleeve, an adjustable stop ele ment arranged within said tubular standard below said support and having a fastening device extending through said slot, and a cushioning element mounted upon said stop element.

In testimony whereof I aflix m signature. CHARLES E. NILEg. [1,. s.] 

